Jihad Alameddine denied bail for the second time in a week

A member of Sydney’s Alameddine family allegedly claimed a firearm found in his phone came from someone else before police say they obtained a video on his phone of him shooting it.

A member of the Alameddine family argued a firearm found in his house wasn’t his.

Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday heard Jihad Alameddine, cousin of the Sydney crime family’s leader Rafat, told police he had nothing to do with the gel blaster discovered in his home last week.

He was charged with possessing a firearm after detectives conducting a search of his Merrylands property under a Firearm Prohibition Order warrant found the weapon, ammo and $31,000 in cash.

Initially telling officers the gun wasn’t his, police told the court, officers allege that was a lie after they found a video of him shooting the gun on his phone.

“The video purports to show him handling this weapon, we don’t know if it’s the same weapon, we don’t know what’s being handled,” Alameddine’s lawyer Hisham Karnib said.

He was arrested in sweeping raids on alleged underworld figures last week.

Mr Karnib on Tuesday argued Alameddine needed to be released on bail to care for his sick uncle and deal with his own recent diagnosis of diabetes.

Alameddine sat quietly in a correctional centre audiovisual link, watching on as one of his brothers sat in the court in support of him.

His arrest came during two days of action that saw police target alleged organised crime figures in a bid to quell a series of home invasions and shootings linked to feuding underworld clans.

In a similar application last week Alameddine offered to give up his passport and put up $10,000 to secure his release.

His lawyer Mr Karnib argued this case would be “just a blemish” on his criminal record which included drug and driving offences.

“Mr Alameddine is someone with strong community ties. He’s married with three kids,” he said.

Jihad Alameddine, second from left, with other members of the Alameddine clan who are not accused of any wrongdoing.

“His family are all in the Sydney metropolitan area, his feet are well and truly ground in the area.”

Alameddine is just one of a few members of the family still residing in the city after several followed the crime network’s leader Rafat in fleeing overseas to Lebanon late last year.

Rafat is now wanted on a warrant for the alleged murders of rival gangster Salim Hamze and his innocent bystander father Toufik, who were gunned down outside their Guildford home in 2022.

Jihad Alameddine has not been charged and is not accused of any wrongdoing whatsoever in that case.

Magistrate Derek Price denied him bail as he was an “unacceptable risk” to the community”.

His case was adjourned to be heard back in the same court on July 10.

Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email [e-mail]

Originally published as Jihad Alameddine denied bail for the second time in a week